Tradition

Tradition

Definition: Strong's Greek – 3862 parádosis (from 3844 /pará, "from close-beside" and 1325/dídōmi, "give over") – properly, give (hand over) from close-beside, referring to tradition as passed on from one generation to the next.

I don't believe all tradition is bad. I will not judge you if you buy birthday gifts and have parties. I will not judge you if you have Graduation parties. I will not judge you if you decorate or dress up for Halloween and head out for some yummy candy, games and fun. I will not judge you if you put up a Christmas tree, lights and buy gifts at Christmas time. I will not judge you if you celebrate your wedding anniversary and have a traditional way you celebrate. I won't judge you for the baby shower or wedding shower you have. I won't judge you if you don't celebrate or have a 'tradition' for any of these things because I don't see sin in any of these unless you put them above God and His Word. If your 'traditions' become gods in your life and cause you to gossip, stress out, spend more than you should on stuff you nor they need, manipulate people or just give you an excuse to be self-centered and selfish....then I think the tradition is a problem.

When you tell others their traditions are sin and you condemn them and yet you have your own traditions, that's a problem. If you want to condemn some traditions then get rid of all of yours!

Now with that said, there are traditions that do not line up with the Word of God, they are made by religious people that desire power and I believe it's to take the attention off what is really going on in the persons life. They make a rule, a tradition that you must follow because they know you will have this or that happen to you or they scare you with God can't love you or people won't take you seriously.....that is not from God.

Mark 7 “He replied,“Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

“ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7They worship me in vain;

their teachings are merely human rules.’ ⁸You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” 9And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!

He goes on to talk about how they watered down the honor your parents command, changed it to suit their desires and He said they do many things like that.

I believe when we make 'traditions' in the church we are putting our will on other people instead of God's will. We take grace away, we deny the power of the cross. And when we desire to follow half truths or traditions that have nothing to do with God's commands, we are really living in fear and seeking to be approved by man.

So how do we, do I, know when a tradition is something to let go of?

Ask yourself these questions:

Does it put a burden on us/me?

Does it cause me to question the cross and what it does for us/me?

Does it make me live in fear of God's wrath?

Does it contradict God's Word?

If it doesn't and it's just a wonderful memory maker and in no way dishonors God....by all means, enjoy your tradition. I know I enjoy mine!!

My Way Or Else !! Really

If you threaten your family and friends to block or delete people from facebook (or any other site) and if they don't do this command of yours....you threaten them with.....they can not have anything to do with you or your family........YOU are in a prison and now they have entered it with you.



Live life, enjoy life, take the chains off I can tell you freedom feels GREAT! and that freedom comes from knowing who you are in Christ. 

It also comes from repenting from the wrong you have done, forgiving others and moving forward in the changes. I'm tired of the petty stuff.....life is too short and we will ALL stand before God someday. Don't hurt others because you are mad at someone.

Ephesians 2:
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.